The United States and Israel are publicly brushing aside President Donald Trump's reported sharing of a highly classified tip from Israel with Russia, but spy professionals on both sides are frustrated and fearful about the repercussions to a critical intelligence partnership.

wire reports

US, Israeli spies upset that Trump shared intel with Russia

WASHINGTON — The United States and Israel are publicly brushing aside President Donald Trump's reported sharing of a highly classified tip from Israel with Russia, but spy professionals on both sides are frustrated and fearful about the repercussions to a critical intelligence partnership.

"I know how things work in Israeli intelligence," said Uri Bar-Joseph, a professor at Haifa University in Israel who has studied and written widely about the Jewish state's spy operations. "I have some friends I talk with. They're upset. They are sincerely frustrated and angry."

U.S. and Israeli officials have tried to allay concerns. But some of the people who've spent years safeguarding that relationship say there will be consequences.

Trump made "two very serious mistakes," former CIA director John Brennan said Thursday at a financial industry event in Las Vegas.

"We shared a lot of sensitive intelligence about terrorism operations that were planned against the Russians," he said. "But we shared it through intelligence channels, and you also make sure that the language of what you are sharing is not going in any way compromise your collections systems. Mr. Trump didn't do that."

Trump close to picking new FBI director

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is leaning toward tapping Joe Lieberman to head the FBI and could announce his pick before he leaves for the Middle East on Friday, a White House official said.

Lieberman, who was Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore’s running mate in the 2000 campaign, made a favorable impression on Trump during a meeting in the White House on Wednesday, the official said.

Lieberman, 75, was Connecticut’s attorney general for six years before he was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1988 and served four terms. He was a Democrat for most of that 24-year period, and unsuccessfully ran for president in 2004.'

Trump denies asking Comey to shelf Flynn probe

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has responded with a direct "no, no" to a question about whether he asked former FBI Director James Comey to shelf an investigation into his former national security adviser.

Trump also was questioned Thursday over revelations that he had shared secrets with the Russians. He denied this as well.

Comey associates this week revealed the existence of a memo Comey wrote after his Feb. 14 meeting with Trump in which he says the president asked him to shut down the FBI investigation into ousted National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

Trump sent Comey a letter last week abruptly firing him.

Times Square crash suspect posted 'crazy stuff'

NEW YORK — Friends of a man suspected of plowing his car into pedestrians in Times Square say he'd been going through a rough time.

Twenty-six-year-old Richard Rojas was taken into custody Thursday after the crash that killed a teenager and injured 22 other people.

Friend Harrison Ramos told reporters that Rojas hadn't been the same since he returned from active duty in the Navy. He says Rojas was posting "crazy stuff" online that has since been taken down.

One neighbor says Rojas is a "good person" and he doesn't know what happened to him.

Two law enforcement officials say Rojas told officers he was hearing voices.